Florida Executes Double Murderer

Michael Duane Zack, a Florida man who murdered two women in 1996, was executed by lethal injection Tuesday night.  Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press reports that Zack’s attorneys sought a last-minute stay arguing that he suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, which was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court Monday.   A Florida Supreme Court decision upholding Zack’s conviction and death sentence describes the brutal murders of Laura Rosillo and Ravonne Smith.

On June 12, 1996, Zack met Laura Rosillo at an Okaloosa County bar and invited her to go to the beach to do drugs. Upon arrival, Zack beat her, pulled off her clothes, and strangled her to death.  He left after hiding her body behind a sand dune. Evidence indicates a sexual assault, but no matching sperm sample was collected. The next day, Zack met Ravonne Smith at Dirty Joe’s Bar in Pensacola. Later that evening, Smith drove Zack to her house in her car. As they entered the house, Zack immediately attacked her, smashing a beer bottle over her head. He chased her down the hall to a bedroom and raped her. When she tried to escape, Zach beat her head against the floor until she blacked out. He then retrieved an oyster knife from the kitchen and stabbed her to death. After cleaning the knife and washing Smith’s blood off of himself, Zack stole Smith’s television, VCR, purse, and car. He returned to the bar where he had met Smith and removed the license plates and personal items from his car, which was stolen. Later, he attempted to pawn the TV and VCR.  Zack was found hiding in an abandoned house several days later and was arrested.

Once in custody, he told detectives that he and Smith had consensual sex before they got into a fight. He claimed that when she ran to a bedroom he thought that she was going to get a gun, so he used the oyster knife to kill her in self-defense.  Zack was convicted and sentenced to death in 1997 for the Ravonne Smith murder, and received a life-without-parole sentence for the Laura Rosillo murder. Zack’s behavior before, during, and after both murders indicates that he was fully cognizant and that his crimes were not the random acts of someone who is mentally ill.

Unlike the brutal deaths suffered by his victims, Zack died peacefully 11 minutes after receiving a lethal injection.

Nineteen murderers have been executed so far this year. By this date last year, 10 murderers had been executed.